Qatar spreads its toxins in Africa by investing in minerals, energy

Shaimaa Hefzy

Qatar seeks to obtain political and economic benefits at the expense of the Africa, especially the North African countries, by making investments in vital areas such as energy and aviation. The country’s intervention in Africa through the door of investment helps Doha achieve its economic goals at a time when it seeks to increase its returns in emerging foreign markets in gas, energy and exploration, in addition to real estate, shipping and industry.

Suspicious agreement

In a recent deal that raised a lot of controversy, the Qatari company Nebras Power acquired 60% of the Tunisian Carthage Power Company, which owns a power plant in the capital Tunis, amid a state of dissatisfaction within the government-owned Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company.

Carthage Power Company is a private US-owned company for the exploitation of energy in Tunisia. It had obtained a license to use a power station to generate energy in a suburb of the Tunisian capital in 2002 for a period of 20 years.

The suspicious agreement opens the file of Qatari funds being pumped into Africa, where Doha went to a number of countries to achieve cooperation in a number of sectors, such as food imports. The Qatari government announced its intention to invest half a billion dollars in Sudan’s agriculture and food sectors, and it signed a $4 billion deal to manage a Red Sea port with Sudan in February 2018.

Doha’s policy of acquiring land

According to official reports, the Qatar Investment Authority spent nearly $30 billion in 2012 on projects and multiple partnerships in Africa, but these investments have since increased, not only in their financial value but also in their geographical area.

Qatar developed advanced formulas for dealing with Africa, moving from direct aid and investments to fruitful smart partnerships. Doha established various partnerships with many African countries. Sudan and Ethiopia are the most important economic partners for Qatar in Central and East Africa, with joint investments amounting to about $10 billion.

In the Republic of the Congo, Qatar Petroleum has acquired 15% of the French company Total, in addition to another prospective investment in the field of electricity with a consortium including Qatar Petroleum, Nebras, Qatar’s Kahramaa, and Qatar Holding.

Qatar has also strengthened its partnership with South Africa in many fields, most importantly in oil, minerals and petrochemicals. Joint investments between the two countries amount to about $13 billion. Qatar Petroleum signed an agreement with Total to become a 25% partner in exploration work in the coastal region off the shores of South Africa.

Qatar’s total investment in the energy sector in South Africa is about $9 billion, and Qatar Airways organizes three daily flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.